A variety of cleaning formulations are available for household use on hard surfaces such as countertops, for use on textiles on upholstery and carpets, for example. Still other cleaning formulations are used on skin to remove dirt and greases, etc.
Several considerations in formulating such compositions include the cleaning ability to dissolve stains and dirt as well as the ability to remove them. For example, in surface cleaning formulations for carpeting, some conventional cleaning compositions interact with the dirt or stain, and the residue can be later removed with a vacuum.
Despite their convenience, several conventional cleaning formulations suffer from a number of disadvantages. Compositions used on hard surfaces such as countertops and porcelain and plastic plumbing fixtures, for example, are acidic or caustic and can damage the substrate to which they are applied. They can also present safety or health hazards to the user. Some carpet compositions, for example, have not have been effective in removing particular stains and even heavy traffic soil stains, while they may also leave behind a tacky residue. The presence of high amount of residues in particular sticky residues contributes to carpet re-soiling which makes the carpet lose its color and brightness. Still yet other stain removers will cause carpet or fabric to change or lose its color.
There remains a need for alternative cleaning compositions useful in removing difficult stains, soap scum, and/or odor from hard and soft surfaces such as carpets, rugs and textiles, without imparting undesirable properties described above or the harmful and toxic exposure to those who use or come into contact with the products.